Test No.1125
v | test_number = 2354 | date = 10,11,12,14 August 1989 (5-day match) | venue = Trent Bridge, Nottingham | toss = Australia, elected to bat first | result = Australia won by an innings and 180 runs | man_of_the_match = | umpires = Nigel Plews & David Shepherd | last_test = Test No.2353 | next_test = Test No.2355 |}} With the Ashes loss in four tests to an Australian side touted as supposedly the worst to ever tour England prior to the start of the series, the England side entered the fifth test looking demoralised and dejected. The English selectors once again chopped and changed their line-up, including the addition of two new debutants – Michael Atherton, and Devon Malcolm. Despite the series having already been decided, it was the fifth test at Trent Bridge which truly defined the 1989 Ashes series. Having won the toss and confidently decided to bat, Border's charges piled on the runs once again. The opening stand of 329 between Mark Taylor and Geoff Marsh which lasted for nearly four sessions, the highest opening stand in an Ashes test, in any test in England, and the fifth highest partnership for the first wicket in all tests. Their stand allowed Australia to bat throughout day 2 and well into the third, reaching 600 for the second time in the series before declaring their innings closed with 6 wickets down. With Terry Alderman again demolishing the demoralised England batting line-up, taking 5 for 69 to restrict them to 255, England were again forced to follow on. They returned on the morning of day four with one first innings wicket in hand, and still 354 runs behind Australia. Their last wicket fell early on, and Border enforced the follow on. The second innings was much worse, lasting a disappointing 55 overs, all out for 167, the wickets being shared amongst the Australians. Day One The Australians arrived in Nottingham for the Trent Bridge test giddy after regaining the Ashes, and being the first Australian side to win a series in England since the 1975 Ashes series. The weather and pitch looked suited to batting, and so on winning the toss, Allan Border had no hesitation in choosing to do so. What happened next went down as one of the most memorable moments in Ashes folklore. England opened the bowling with the relatively inexperienced pair of Devon Malcolm and Angus Fraser, and Australia's opening batsmen Mark Taylor and Geoff Marsh tore them apart. The Nottingham crowd were treated to an exciting display of a mixture of stroke-play and powerful hitting. The pair batted throughout the morning and had soon passed 50. Botham and then Hemmings were brought in to bowl, but were equally ineffective. The Australians both looked set and determined, and rarely mis-timed or beaten. By lunch the score had gone past 150, with both openers passing their half-centuries. After a well earned break, they resumed where they had left off, scoring freely throughout the afternoon. By tea they had gone past 200, Taylor the first to bring up his century, followed soon after by Marsh. The pair, as might be expected after such a long day, had slowed down in the final session, but by stumps Australia's score stood at 301 for 0. Taylor was not out on 141 and Marsh not out on 125. It was the first time ever in history that no wicket had fallen on the first day of a test match in England. Day Two The Australian opening pair started day two where they had left off the day before. Free-flowing strokes around the wicket kept the scoreboard ticking over, and England's bowlers looked lost. They had tried six bowlers – Fraser, Malcolm, Botham, Hemmings, Cook, and batsman Atherton – before the breakthrough finally came mid-morning. Geoff Marsh was eventually caught by Botham off the bowling of Cook for 138. His innings had lasted over 7 hours, facing 382 balls and he struck 15 fours. The innings was to remain his all-time test best. The England team had finally removed one of the openers, but his partner remained steadfast in his concentration, and was now joined by a determined looking David Boon. Boon, who for much of the dark days of mid-1980s Australian cricket had remained the rock in the top order, had yet to score a century so far in the series, and looked set to try to right that wrong. He and Taylor breezed the Australian total past 350, Taylor bringing up his 150 in the process. England had failed to capitalise on their breakthrough, and the Boon-Taylor partnership soon resumed the pace and tempo of the previous Taylor-Marsh one. They batted throughout the morning and Australia soon went past 400, with still only one wicket down. The England fielders looked tired and dejected. Mark Taylor soon brought up his personal 200, becoming the first Australian to score a double century in England since 1970. However, not long after, an exhausted looking Taylor tried to dance down the wicket once too often attempting to hit Cook down the ground, and was out excellently stumped by Russell for 219. His innings lasted just over 9 hours, during which he faced 461 balls and struck 23 fours. His dismissal saw Australia at 430 for 2, with the partnership of Boon and Taylor worth 101. It would remain Taylor's highest test score until he made an astonishing 334* during the 1998-99 Australia v Pakistan series. Taylor's dismissal didn't end the misery for England's bowlers however. Captain Allan Border came to the wicket seemingly inspired by the efforts of his top three. He and Boon took the score past 500, before Boon was likewise stumped by Russell off Cook, out for 73, a century still eluding his despite his consistent batting throughout the series. Dean Jones added a rapid 22, but was out caught by Gower off Angus Fraser, and the one highlight of the Australian innings for England came next when the in-form Steve Waugh was out for a duck. Wicket-keeper Ian Healy joined his captain, and the pair saw Australia to 560 for 5 at stumps. Day Three Day three began with a dejected England looking as though they knew they had no hope of extracting a victory from the test, and also knowing they would have to bat out at least two days to salvage a draw. But that was yet to come, as Border and Healy resumed Australia's mammoth total. England got the early breakthrough though, dismissing Healy, clean bowled by Fraser, second ball of the day without adding to the overnight total. Off-spinner Trevor Hohns joined captain Border, and the pair batted through the morning taking Australia past 600. Border unselfishly stuck to his declaration target of 600, even though it left his 35 shy of a century on 65, and declared Australia's innings closed shortly before lunch on 602 for 6, the second time in the series Australia had passed 600. England were forced to face an awkward period before lunch, and duly obliged the tourists by succumbing to the pressure. Martyn Moxon fell to a third ball duck in the first over, caught by Waugh at point slashing at an out-swinger from Terry Alderman. Debutant Mike Atherton went two balls later, fooled by Alderman's now trademark in-swinging yorker which trapped him in front to be out LBW. England ended the first over 2 for 1. Tim Curtis fared little better, out a few overs later for 2, also out LBW to Alderman. Robin Smith and David Gower went someway to stabilising the England innings, but when captain Gower was tempted to play at an off-cutter outside the off stump by Geoff Lawson he got an outside edge and was caught behind for 11. Once again keeper Jack Russell was called upon to try to provide some lower order resistance for a failing England line-up. He did so, this time in the form of providing support for Smith, who started to look comfortable where the others had failed. Smith's stroke-play became audacious, even elegant at times. He soon moved past 50, but lost Russell soon after. The keeper-batsman caught behind by Healy off Lawson for 20. Hemmings likewise provided good support for Smith, chiming in with a useful 38, and helping Smith take the England total past 200 before he was spectacularly clean-bowled by Alderman. Smith soon crept over the line to make a well made century, but he was out 1 run later for 101, caught behind by Healy off Alderman, giving the West Australian yet another 5 wicket haul, his fifth of the series so far. Alderman finished the English first innings with 5 for 69. The final session was one of minor frustrations for the Australia bowlers, who looked to knock over the England tail. First Fraser with 29, then an injured Ian Botham batting down the order with 11, and finally number 11 Devon Malcolm who along with fellow bowler Cook saw England survive to stumps, finishing the day on 246 for 9. Day Four The last England pair continued to frustrate the Australian bowlers for the first few overs of day four, adding an extra 9 runs for the last wicket, but eventually Malcolm was out caught behind off Merv Hughes for 9, and England's first innings came to a close for 255 in 76.5 overs. Still 347 behind the Australian total, Border had no hesitation in making England follow on. Captain Gower decided that a captain's innings leading from the front was necessary, and promoted himself to number one in the order. Despite striking one glorious 4, it backfired spectacularly when he was out for 5 on the fifth ball of the innings, clean bowled by Geoff Lawson. Curtis added 6 and there was to be no heroics from Smith in the second innings, out for 26 to leave England at 67 for 3. Debutant Atherton looked to be finding his feet, despite being on the receiving end of some hostile bowling, and even more hostile sledging from Merv Hughes, and moved awkwardly on towards 50. He and demoted Moxon added a useful 49 for the fourth wicket, before Moxon succumbed to a peach of an in-swinging yorker by Alderman to have his off stump cart-wheeling backwards out of the ground. Russell could only add 1, clean bowled by Lawson, and when Atherton was caught and bowled by off-spinner Trevor Hohns for 47, a frustrating three shy of a debut half-century, England were again reeling on 120 for 6. Lunch brought little reprieve for England, who seemed consigned to their fate. Fraser could add only 1 before he was undone by the spin of Hohns and clean-bowled. Hemmings had kept the score creeping slowly along with a determined 35 was out LBW to Hughes and when Malcolm was clean bowled by Hughes for 5 a few overs later, leaving England 167 for 9, it was decided the match was lost, and England did not wish to risk injured Botham, who went 'absent hurt', England all out for 167. Mark Taylor's brilliant 219 earned him the man-of-the-match award. Australia had won the fifth test of the 1989 Ashes series by an innings and 180 runs inside four days to lead the best of 6 test series 4-0. Did not bat: Merv Hughes, Geoff Lawson, Terry Alderman Fall of wickets: 1-329 (Geoff Marsh), 2-430 (Mark Taylor), 3-502 (David Boon), 4-543 (Dean Jones), 5-553 (Steve Waugh), 6-560 (Ian Healy) '''Fall of wickets: '''Fall of wickets: '''Match details *Series: Australia led the 6-match series 4-0 *Test debuts: Mike Atherton & Devon Malcolm *Player of the match: Mark Taylor Close of play *day 1 – Australia 1st innings 301/0 (GR Marsh 125*, MA Taylor 141*) *day 2 – Australia 1st innings 560/5 (AR Border 46*, IA Healy 5*) *day 3 – England 1st innings 246/9 (NGB Cook 1*, DE Malcolm 1*) *day 4 – England 2nd innings 167 (55.3 ov) - end of match External links *Scorecard at Cricinfo.com Category:Test Matches Category:2019 Test matches